News - page 3

This month, concrete pours and site deliveries will limit street parking near the 1601 Mariposa Street development site. Related California’s construction contractor, Nibbi Brothers, is in the process of installing foundation elements and underground plumbing, as well as concrete floors, walls, columns, and elevated decks. In addition, demolition of the existing concrete wall on 18th…

Over the past three years, the View has reported on The Good Life Grocery’s efforts to comply with the State’s “Bottle Bill,” the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, or CalRecycle, passed in 1986. Kayren Hudiburgh, co-owner of the store, which has locations on 20th Street and in Bernal Heights, thought the state…

Jackson Playground would be radically altered under a proposed redesign plan. The historic clubhouse would be moved from Mariposa to 17th Street, adjacent to a new community center featuring rooftop tennis courts. The athletic fields would be modified to create a variety of subdivided space, including picnic areas and a batting cage. Friends of Jackson…

Its members are sharp, insistent, and affiliated with one of the City and County of San Francisco’s oldest and most powerful citizens’ advocacy groups: the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association. Founded in 1926, the organization had its genesis in an entity created at least two decades earlier: the Potrero Commercial and Manufacturers’ Association (PCMA). According to an article…

In January, the California College of the Arts submitted a revised Institutional Master Plan to the Planning Commission under which its Oakland and San Francisco properties would be consolidated into a unified campus located in Showplace Square, on Eighth Street. According to Gina Simi, Planning Department communications manager, the Plan’s environmental review, Transportation Impact Study…

Born in the quiet rural area of the Sutter Buttes, raised on a farm with a plethora of animals, Jami the cat was destined for bigger things. He lost his way one day – perhaps he jumped in the back of a hay bale delivery truck – and ended up at my parent’s ranch, looking…

This May marks the 60th annual Potrero Hill Artists’ Exhibition, at the Potrero Branch Library. This non-juried show features 78 artists who live, work or study on the Hill and in Dogpatch. The exhibition is purportedly San Francisco’s oldest annual art show. It began in 1955, and has been held every year since, with…

About fifteen years ago, parishioner Betsy Porter began teaching an iconography class at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, located on De Haro Street. Iconographers create Christian art based on an ancient Byzantine style, sometimes referred to as the “Gospel in color.” Porter had been a congregant for a couple of years and wanted to…

Forty-eight years ago, a group of Potrero Hill residents – artists, labor union activists, peaceniks – published Hills and Dales, a fledgling newsletter to inform neighbors about goings-on, and possibly even influence local politics. The mimeographed missive soon morphed into The Potrero View, the newspaper you’re holding in your hand or reading on a screen.…

In the wake of Mayor Ed Lee’s unexpected passing in December, a special mayoral election will be held on June 5, with the winner occupying the post until 2020. One of the frontrunners, Mark Leno, served two terms in the State Senate, from 2008 until 2016, representing the 3rd and 11th Districts, was a State…

Green Benefit District is a quasi-government organization directed by a board of elected Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill residents to help maintain and expand the area’s parks and greenery. The organization was formed in 2015, after securing 76 percent of property owner votes in the district. GBD’s 15 directors – including a president, vice president,…

Last fall, the late Mayor Ed Lee announced that this winter San Francisco would help an additional 1,000 homeless people secure shelter. However, according to Jeff Kositsky, head of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, as of last month only about one-fifth of the hoped-for extra spots in the City had been created. Kositsky…

Last month, the San Francisco Planning Department released a final version of the Central Waterfront Public Realm Plan, reflecting an 18-month effort to synthesize municipal and neighborhood land use aspirations into one guiding document. The plan takes a comprehensive look at the waterfront and Dogpatch east of Pennsylvania Street and north to south from Mariposa…

In January, Bauman Landscape and Construction, Inc., a contractor for the Department of Public Works (DPW), began work on the “22nd Street Green Connection” project, a collection of improvements intended to enhance pedestrian traffic in the area. The undertaking is expected to be completed by the end of this summer. The work currently focuses on…

Enlarging Islais Creek by 300 acres, moving the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant to the waterfront, and turning Interstate-280 into a pedestrian sky park are among the ideas being considered by a team of urban planners, architects and ecologists studying ways to adjust to potentially rising sea levels. Islais Creek is one of 10 Bay Area…

A showroom and retail building located at 300 Kansas Street, on Potrero Hill’s northern end, may be transformed into a modern structure, if a preliminary proposal moves forward. Developer Group i recently submitted an application to the Planning Department that proposes to demolish the existing production, design, and repair building and construct a new six-story…

Potrero Hill Coin Laundry went out of business last fall, ending 18 years of laundromat service. Its departure from a central location in the neighborhood, at 1310 18th Street, leaves a void for community members who lack access to machines at home, and don’t have the funds to pay for more expensive services. Although the…

Last year, the View reported on a Honey’s of the Hill calendar fundraiser spearheaded by Lorys Crisafulli, Dorene Cotter and Sally Taylor, Potrero Hill Neighborhood House Senior Lunch program participants. Inspired by the 2003 movie, Calendar Girls, the three worked with Nabe staff to create and sell calendars that featured a dozen local seniors posing…

Perhaps Dogpatch’s best-kept secret is the Thursday night Argentine Tango class, taught at Christy Coté’s 701 Minnesota Street home studio. For the last four years, Coté has facilitated what some call a three-minute love affair, often in the arms of a stranger. “People get addicted to tango because it’s a dance that comes from within,”…

Last month, San Francisco parents submitted their school choice lists. If demand during the 2017 academic year is any indication, Lowell High School, A.P. Giannini Middle School and Clarendon Elementary School will be the most popular requests at their respective levels. San Francisco parents submit as many choices as they want into the school lottery…

Despite evidence pointing to the dangers of lead poisoning that dates to ancient times, the toxic metal continued to be used as a building and manufacturing material through the 20th century. The substance still threatens human health today, including the well-being of San Francisco’s children. Lead tests have periodically been conducted by the San Francisco…

San Francisco has consistently ranked amongst the country’s most expensive housing markets. According to the January 2018 Zumper National Rent Report, the median price for a one bedroom in the City is $3,400, far exceeding any other U.S. metropolitan area. For many workers – nurses, teachers and emergency personnel – salaries and wages aren’t sufficiently…

The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department will begin renovating the Potrero Hill Recreation Center, at 801 Arkansas Street, this spring. The facility will remain open, on its regular schedule – Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – throughout the process. Changes will include installation of…

If one had to pick a single word to describe Bayview District’s new police captain, Steven Ford, it’d be “busy.” In addition to his captain duties, Ford teaches night courses in criminal justice at City College of San Francisco, is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership at St. Mary’s College of California, and makes time…

A staircase will ultimately replace a steep and rugged dirt path that follows 22nd Street between Missouri and Connecticut streets. The project is being led by Friends of the Potrero Hill Recreation Center (FOPHRC), a community group operating under the auspices of San Francisco Parks Alliance, whose board includes Jennifer Serwer, Kara Portnow, Maulik Shah,…